Friday, August 19, 2011

Having a Mother heart.

Today, as we end this Oh Baby event, I wanted to share a few things I have learned as a mother.

First of all, I truly feel motherhood is a gift from God. I believe that these sweet babies come straight from Him and because I believe that, it changes me. The way I see them. The way I treat them. The potential I see from the beginning. And I don't believe mothering just belongs to the person who gives birth. Mothering is an action word that we as women do, whether we bear children or not..and I feel blessed to have that "job" in my life. With that said here are a few things that come to mind:

I learned early on that I am not a perfect mother..and that there really is no such thing.

The moment I laid eyes on my first boy, it changed me. I became different and "I" no longer was the important thing, but who I was did matter.

The world became more beautiful. I see beauty in the smallest things and notice these things through their eyes.

They rely on you like no one else ever has. And I love that.

They are fun! They are born with distinct personalities and it is so exciting watching them blossom.

They know you when they first are born. They have listened to your voice and it is calming to them.

Watching a child discover the world is exhilerating. How they see the world can be attributed largely to the way you see the world.

Enjoy those snuggles while they are little because they soon grow to be fast and "too big" for those hugs.

Know that there will be bumps and bruises along the way.

Motherhood has taught me to smile when I feel like crying and laugh when nothing is going right.

I love the feeling of holding super powers. My kiss has healing powers, my hug can stop a cry or make a smile, and my words can instantly cheer up a sad face.

Kids are sponges. At all ages. They have astounded me when I teach them things and have photographic memories that I am amazed by. I have learned to never underestimate what they have the ability to learn.

I have learned to let them experience some things without constant direction. Oftentimes the care and love that they naturally have for things will instinctively come out if I don't step in. And it is a beautiful thing to watch!

I love them more than I could have ever imagined. I have learned that it is never enough. You can smother them day and night and they still have room for it the next day. And it is suppose to be like that!

I have learned to tell them and show them how much I love them. So many times my actions don't reflect just how much I love them and they pick that up..and that breaks my heart.

One of my favorite moments of being a mother is at night when I check on them before I go to bed. I give them a kiss and make sure they are warm enough, but just watching them fills my heart with gratitude that they are mine.

and lastly, Motherhood is difficult. It really is. There are days when I don't get it right, but there are also days that I do. Luckily my children are forgiving and love me despite my weaknesses and have helped me gain and discover new strengths that could only come from being with them.

I truly feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Not only do I have an incredible mother, whom I still look up to, but I have added an amazing mother in law and countless other sweet friends, young and old who have helped me in my quest to be the mom that God intended me to be. And luckily that is a process and not a destination! All of this coupled with a sweet and patient and loving husband and I count my blessings everyday for the life I have.

As a reminder, here are all of the posts with links from the "Oh Baby" event:

Great post. I have only been a mother for two years but a few things that I have learned are: my heart is literally walking around outside of my body, I will laugh more than I ever thought possible and there is always time to do something in a different way.

I love that my children are part of me and part of the man I love so much. I feel like every week I am learning new things about being a mummy. While I am not in America nor am I American, motherhood is consists of the same struggles and beauties throughout the world. I blog about it every week. whilemanningissleeping.blogspot.com

One of the things i have learned is that i get a tiny glispe of how Heavenly Father loves me and my children. Motherhood is so special and important, and i think it's good to share how amazing it is and also how hard it can be. But always worth it....